Valve mechanism for locomotives.



W. J. TREMAIN.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVES. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.\9.1916.

1,299,907. Patented Dec. 26,1916.

WILLIAM J. TREMAIN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

Application filed January 19, 1916. Serial No. 73,046. a

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. TREMAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Valve Mechanisms for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved valve mechanism for effectively lubricating the pistons in locomotive and other cylinders and the valves which control the ingress and egress of steam to and from the valve chambers.

The primary object of this invention is to accomplish this result automatically by the use of the exhaust or waste steam and oil egressing through the exhaust outlet of thesteam cylinder which usually operates the air pump.

A further object is to cushion the reciprocating parts of the engine when the steam is shut oft and the locomotive drifting and to obviate the manual operation of the throttle for drifting.

To these ends my invention comprises the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan of my invention, partly in section, the drawing being of a diagrammatic nature; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a detail of the locomotive showing my invention applied thereto, part of the drawing being shown in section and diagrammatically and the section of the valve beingtaken on the line XX of Fig. 1 when the valve is in lowermost position, Fig. 3 is anenlarged section of a detail of the valve mechanism forming part of my invention, the line of section being taken on the line YY of Fig. 2 when the valve is in superior position and Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the valve interposed between and within the pipe connecting the air chambers, the valve being illustrated in exhausting position.

In the drawing A indicates a portion of a boiler of a locomotive, BB the usual main cylinders, C C the usual steam or valve chests of said cylinders in which the usual valve mechanism not illustrated is employed, DD the usual steam ducts entering said steam chests from the boiler or the superheater, which is commonly-employed, E-E

the air tanks and F the air pump, which automatically maintains the air at constant predetermined pressure in the usual manner, said air pump being operated by the usual steam operated auxiliary power cylinder G, in which a piston not illustrated is reciprocated in the usual manner by live steam received through the inlet 2. This invention contemplates lubricating the valves in the steam chest C-C by the exhaust steam and oil from the power cylinder G and transmitted to the steam chests by means of the supply pipe 3, valve 4, branch pipes 5 and 6, and connecting pipes 7 and 8, the latter being tapped into the opposite end of each of the steam chests.

The valve 4 is in the form of a piston, which is adapted to slide in a cylindrical casing 9, and is provided with a stem 10 projecting upwardly and sliding through a cap 11, on the casing 9. The lower portion of the valve is formed with a cylindrical downwardly extending body 12, which works in a corresponding cylindrical extension 13 to the casing 9, said extension 12 being provided with a packing ring 14 to produce a steam tight slidable joint between the extension 12 and the inner surface of the cylindrical casing extension 13. Live steam is admitted from one of the supply ducts D into the lower end of the cylindrical casing extension 13 below the piston extension 12 by means of the pipe 15, thereby providing means for forcing the piston 4 upwardly into superior position when the throttle of the locomotive is opened and live steam enters the steam chests CC. A coil spring 16 placed around the stem 10 and held in the cap 11 of the casing presses downwardly upon the valve 4 and tends to hold the latter down in lowermost or normal position. When the locomotive is operating under live steam, the valve is raised into superior position and a passage 16 therein, (see Fig. 3), forms a communication through ports 17 and 18, in the wall of the valve chamber with the exhaust pipe 3 (see Fig. 1) and the outlet pipe or duct 19, which is connected with the smoke chamber of the locomotive and leads to the outer atmosphere. The exhaust steam charged with lubricating oil is therefore conducted from the steam cylinder G to the outer atmosphere and there is therefore no back pressure upon the piston in cylinder Gr caused by the contents of the steam chests CC when the steam chests are operating under live steam. When the locomotive is" 16 forces the piston valve l: downwardly into" lowermost or normal position as illustrated and21 leading from theexhaustoutlet of -causing the exhaust therefrom to be conthe steam cylinder G of the air pump and ducted through the pipes 5 and 6 into the steam chests C@ and thereby lubricating -the valves in said steam chests and the inner walls of the cylinders C C with the .oil-in said exhaust. The air pump F is connected by the pipe 23 w th the air-reservoir chambers -EE in which air is maintained The equalizing pipe connection 24 between 1 the air chambers E-E is provided with an escape valve 25, which is-opened and closed ,.;bv-' the. lever 26. This lever 26 is connected by the link27 with an arm 28, which is tiltingly mounted between its ends on the support 29, one end of said arm opposite 7 that end to which'the-link 27 is connected being movably attached to the upper end of the valve stem10. These parts are arranged,

. so, that when the valve 1" is in normal orlowermost position the vent valve 25 1S opened 4 -to allow the escape of a small amount of air from the air chambers EE, thereby causing the automatic pump If to be operated Slowly and never stopping. In this manner lubricating oil is always fed into the valve chambers 'C-C when the locomotive 1s drifting or at a standstill and when the throttle is closed. 1

' ,VVhen the locomotive is drifting or at rest, this lubricating exhaust escapes to the outer atmosphere through the exhaust channel and :trsual'relief valves leading from the steam cheststhrough which the exhaust from the I "cylinders of the locomotive normally passes into the smokechamber of the locomotive or to' the outer atmosphere.

The lubrication received from the Oll which egresses with the exhaust and waste steam from the steam I cylinder of-the air pump is sufficient to at all times lubricate the valves in the steam chests of the engine cylinders B B effectively. When drifting, it will be observed v the waste steam admitted from the air pump cylinder cushions the reciprocating parts in the cylinders BB and valve chests- G C, Check valves 30 and 31 in the pipes ,5 and 6 prevent at all times any steam escaping backwardly through said pipes.

' Should the throttle leak and back pressure of steam form in the valve chambers on the cylinders B B;th e steamllealiing fromthe throttle will pass down the pipe 15 and force a duct for the waste steam from cylinder G to" the outer atmosphere, the same as when the locomotive is operating under steam. in Fig-Q, the port 18 thereby being-closed and a passage 20 in thepiston valve caused to register with the set of three ports 17 ,20

The-invention therefore is automaticat all times and re.quires substantially no attention onthe'part of an attendant.

It will be observedthat by -the. use of my invention a heretofore waste product, 6., r

the exhaust steam and oil fromthe air pump cylinder, is utilized for a useful'purpose;

This invention is applicable for use in con-,

nection with steam, water and air supply systems and for any other purpose desired and Where the term. steam is used throughout the clalms followlng it Is lntended to include these other mediums as equivas lents. The valve 4 can also be'o-perated by" any meansdesired andforany purpose in whichthe waste medium I'froma steam or other pump is utilized for lubricating or other purposes.

Iii

In accordance Wltll thepatent statutes,

have described the principles of operation of my invention,together with the apparatus which I now considerto represent" the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown in only illustrative,-and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to-uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described myinvention, what I claim as new. and desire to protect'by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a locomotive and its boiler, maln cylinder and a duct for the main cylinder for lubricating the same,

valve mechanism for controlling the supply of said expended lubricating .oil andsteam,

and means actuated by the admission of steam from the boiler to the main cylinder for operating said valve mechanism to automatically govern the admission of the lubricating supplyto said main cylinder.

2. In combination witha main cylinder and its piston and valve ,che'st, an auxiliary cylinder having an exhaust through which spent steam and lubricating oiltherefrom are expended, means for conducting said waste steam and oil into one of said ports for lubricating the same, valve mechanism for controlling said supply of said expended steam and oil, and means for automatically operating said valve mechanism to shut off said lubricating supply when said main cylinder is operating under steampressure.

3. In combination with a looomot'iveand its main steam cylinders, valve chambers for said cylinders having steam supply ducts and air pump operating cylinder having an exhaust outlet for spent operating medium and waste lubricating oil, a passage leading from said exhaust outlet into said valve chambers for conducting said waste medium and oil for lubricating purposes into said valve chambers, a steam valve interposed in said duct and having operative connection with said steam supply ducts to automati cally shift said valve and close the supply of waste medium and oil into said chests when the main cylinders are operating under steam pressure and permitting the valve to open said duct and admit said medium and oil into said chests when the supply of live steam is cut off from said chests and the 10- comotive is drifting.

4. In combination with a locomotive and its main steam cylinders, valve chambers for said cylinders having steam supply ducts, an air pump having an operating cylinder provided with an exhaust outlet for spent operating medium and waste lubricating oil, and an air supply tank maintained under a substantially steady air pressure by said air pump, a passage leading from said exhaust outlet into said valve chambers for conducting said waste medium and oil for lubricating purposes into said valve chambers, a steam valve interposed in said passage adapted in one position to connect said exhaust outlet with said valve chambers and in another position to close said connection and complete a passage from said exhaust outlet to the outer atmosphere, said valve being connected with live steam supplied to said main cylinders and adapted to be urged into a position admitting said waste oil into said chests, a spring against which said valve is urged under steam pressure and adapted to return the valve, and an escape valve arranged when open to permit the escape of air from said tank, so that the air pump cylinder is continuously operated to supply waste oil to said chests when the locomotive is at rest or drifting, said waste valve being operatively connected with said main valve to operate simultaneously therewith.

5. In combination with a locomotive and its boiler, a main cylinder and a duct for the admission of steam from the boiler to the main cylinder, an auxiliary cylinder having an exhaust through which spent steam and lubricating oil are expended, means for conducting said waste steam and oil into said main cylinder for lubricating the same, valve mechanism for controlling the supply of said expended lubricating oil and steam, and means actuated by the cutting off of the steam supply from the boiler to the main cylinder for operating said valve mechanism to automatically govern the admission of the lubricating supply to said main cylinder.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM J. TREMAIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

